The FBI is surging resources into what it calls a “priority” investigation related to the 2020 election in Georgia, according to two U.S. officials familiar with the matter, in an extraordinary effort by the nation’s most prominent law enforcement agency to find evidence supporting President Donald Trump’s darkest election fraud conspiracy theories.
Documents obtained by MS NOW — which the two officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to share internal matters, said were related to the Georgia election investigation — show that FBI leadership is authorizing intelligence analysts to work overtime, including weekends and holidays, on the case. And they show that FBI Director Kash Patel is ordering personnel from all field offices to participate.
“In support of the Director’s Office priority effort, the Directorate of Intelligence (DI) and Criminal Division are requesting all FBI field offices to immediately surge support to an FBI Atlanta priority investigation,” said an unclassified memo issued Wednesday.
The FBI declined to comment to MS NOW.
The memo went on to detail the number of personnel each field office must contribute, depending on its size, for a total of 260 FBI intelligence officials. The guidance did not include numbers for FBI agents, dozens of whom are also working on the investigation.
Each intelligence analyst would be expected to conduct a total of 708 records checks by July 17, the memo said.
“Overtime (including weekends and holidays) has been authorized,” it added.
Asked what analysts would be looking for, one of the officials said, “Looking for derogatory information is the short answer. The idea is to build a case. Look at associations between people, look into their social media, their business activity, travel, contact with other investigative subjects.”
In January, the FBI executed a search warrant and seized more than 600 boxes of records relating to the 2020 election from storage in Fulton County, including physical ballots, ballot images, voter rolls and tabulation materials. When the basis for the search warrant was unsealed, it became clear that it relied largely on claims that had previously been debunked, including by Republican-led investigations in Georgia.
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Ken Dilanian is the justice and intelligence correspondent for MS NOW.
